UK Immigration Rule Changes 2026: Major New ILR Settlement Rules Revealed. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has outlined proposals to reform immigration laws.
Tougher criteria for being granted permanent settlement in the UK were initially put out in November 2025, when Mahmood was home secretary in Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet.
She has advocated that settlement should be “earned” rather than automatically granted, with those who contribute most to the country able to settle the quickest.
After a consultation, Mahmood has made her final conclusion on what modifications should be pushed forward.
Some elements of her original proposals have been changed after a response from some Labour MPs, with plans to make foreign care workers already in the UK wait 15 years to qualify for settlement deleted.
What is Indefinite Leave to Remain and Settlement?
Indefinite permission to remain (ILR), also known as settlement, lets someone live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like.
Under the existing system, those with ILR can also apply for assistance if eligible.
People who have been living in the UK for 12 months after being granted ILR can apply for British citizenship if other requirements are met.
What Will the New UK Immigration Restrictions Mean for Immigrants?
The Government is planning to double the normal period of time migrants will have to remain in the UK to qualify for permanent settlement from five years to 10.
Under this 10-year route, applicants must have earned a minimum of £12,571 for five out of the seven years immediately before being granted settlement.
However other groups will have a shorter qualifying term of five years including:
- Individuals who have earned at least £50,271 for three out of five years shortly before asking for settlement.
- Care workers who met the visa requirements and earned at least £25,000 a year and arrived in the UK before May 2025
- “Skilled” public service workers in health and education, including doctors, nurses, social workers and teachers
- Other public service professionals in health and education below this skill level, for example nursing auxiliaries and teaching assistants, if they came to the UK before May 2025
- People from Hong Kong with British National (Overseas) status
After three years, the holders of a Global Talent or Innovator Founder visa and “highly skilled” migrants earning above £125,141 per year will be eligible.
Migrants who have claimed benefits or broken immigration laws will only be eligible to reside after at least 20 years.
Adults who have a criminal record will be denied settlement, with discretion to refuse situations when the offence was committed while the applicant was under 18 years old.
Other Eligibility Requirements for UK Settlement
Other criteria for eligibility for settlement will also generally need to be met by migrants, such as:
- Good English speaker
- Have no debt to the government (e.g., unpaid taxes)
- Earn at least £12,571 a year for at least 3 years, which is the threshold for paying income tax
What Are the New UK Settlement Rules for Refugees?
Refugees – persons given asylum in the UK because they cannot go back to their own country for fear of persecution – will be subject to a new set of laws.
Refugees who have been brought to the UK under a formal government arrangement will be allowed to reside after five years.
But other refugees will have to wait 10 years and work or study.
Those who are neither employed nor studying will have to wait 20 years.
Refugees arriving in the UK by small boat or other illegal means will be forced to wait 20 years if they work or study and 30 years if they don’t.
What About Migrants Already in the UK?
The reforms will affect migrants already in the UK, but not those who have already been awarded settlement.
How Will the New UK Immigration Rules Affect Family Members?
If a partner is coming with somebody who subsequently files for ILR they will be eligible to settle at the same time if they meet the appropriate requirements.
However, a partner who joins at a later stage will have to fulfil the same qualifying time of residence before they can settle.
Eligible people will be allowed to combine their incomes to reach the minimal income threshold.
Household income will need to be £25,142 or more – double the minimum income for individuals.
Children under 18 will still be entitled to settle with their parents.
They will not have to meet the income, government debt, English language and Life in the UK test requirements but will still have to meet the appropriate suitability and criminality conditions.
Young individuals between 18 and 24 years of age still dependent on their family will also continue to be eligible to settle with them.
They will have to meet all the adult mandatory standards but not the individual income criterion.
Where a family is eligible for settlement and a member of the family is aged 25 or over, that member will be deemed to be eligible in their own right.
Eligible partners, parents and children of UK nationals will still be able to settle after five years.